Fifteen people attempting to illegally enter Bangladesh from India early on Wednesday were detained by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the Dholai border in Kamolganj, Moulvibazar.

Shib Narayan Shil, the acting chairman of Madhabpur union parishad, said: “The BGB detained 15 people for illegal entry into Bangladesh. Among them are nine men, three women, and three children. They are originally from various districts in Bangladesh, including Narail and Chittagong.”

He further said: "During interrogation, the detainees revealed they had been living in Assam, India, for the past five years. Suddenly, the Indian police demolished their homes and transported them by helicopter to Manik Bhandar in Tripura, where they were handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF).

"According to them, there were around 300 people in the group. The BSF opened the gate at the Dholai border and 'pushed in' several of them into Bangladesh. However, they could not say where the rest were taken."

Bina Rani Deb, a reserved seat member of the Madhabpur union parishad, said she was present when the detainees were being taken from the BGB camp to be handed over to the police.

However, the handover did not ultimately take place, she added.

Kamolganj police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Syed Iftekhar Uddin said: “We have heard from various sources that BGB has detained 15 people, but they have not been handed over to the police yet.”

Multiple attempts were made to contact Lt Col Md Zakaria, commander of the 46 BGB Battalion of the Sreemangal sector, but his comments could not be obtained.